12 Oct 2012

Sydney to host world gay rugby event

7:12 am on 12 October 2012

Sydney is to host an annual tournament for gay rugby union players, the Bingham Cup, in 2014.

The International Gay Rugby Association and Board made the announcement on Friday morning.

The tournament will run for one week in August 2014, with up to 40 teams and 1500 players expected to participate.

AAP reports the Bingham Cup was founded in 2002 to highlight the problem of homophobia in sport. It was named after Mark Bingham, a gay American rugby player who was aboard United Airlines flight 93 during the September 11 attacks in 2001.

This year's event in Manchester, England was won by the Sydney Convicts.